In golf, the putting game is a game of small distances and minimum tolerance for error. In putting, minimal errors in speed and direction of the putter head as it contacts the ball are magnified as the ball progresses towards the hole, causing errant putts and adding strokes to the golfer's score. It has long been recognized by golfers that the putting stroke is more critical and more demanding than the driving stroke. For example, if a golf ball is to be driven 200 yards and the head of the club is misaligned by two degrees, the ball will miss its intended target by seven yards. When aiming for the middle of the fairway, an error of seven yards is not critical. However, when putting a distance of ten feet and aiming at the cup which is approximately four and one-half inches in diameter, a misalignment error of two degrees will cause the ball to miss the rim of the cup by one and three-quarter inches resulting in a missed putt and an extra stroke for the hole.
When a golfer is preparing to putt, he assesses the lie of the golf green and the path that the ball must travel in order to reach the cup. The putter is then swung in the direction the ball is to travel so that the ball striking face of the putter blade makes contact with the ball and propels it in the desired direction with the appropriate velocity. Errant putts can be caused when the desired path the putter is to travel is deviated from. The farther the golfer must swing the putter, the more likely the putter is to deviate from the desired path. Therefore, any putter design which allows a shorter putter stroke will produce more accurate putting results.
Also, most prior art putters cause the ball to become airborn when it is hit, making the ball susceptible to bouncing off line when it lands. Therefore, any putter design which keeps the ball on the ground longer will produce more accurate putting results. Additionally, it is desirable that a putter design produce an overspin on the ball when it is hit, which will help to keep the ball on the intended line.
Furthermore, much of the energy in the stroke of prior art putters is wasted in the inelastic collision of the prior art putter with the ball, which turns the stroke energy into noise, shaft vibration, and rebound of the putter blade in a reverse direction. Such blade rebound actually works against the golfer's follow through. Anticipation of this collision can even cause the golfer to unconsciously tense his muscles just at the critical moment before contact with the ball, disrupting the line of the stroke and the resulting path of the ball.
It is therefore desirable to find a putter which maximizes the roll distance of the ball resulting from any given stroke, a putter which creates more overspin on the ball, a putter which conserves stroke energy by minimizing the production of noise, shaft vibration and rebound of the putter blade, and a putter which exhibits a "soft hit", allowing for smooth, continuous and uninterrupted flow from the stroke to the follow through. The present invention is directed toward meeting these needs.